Field
The present disclosure generally relates to automated wire insertion systems for manufacturing processes, such as aircraft or electronics manufacturing. More specifically, the present disclosure generally relates to a system and method for the insertion of a wire into a fixture using vibratory motion.
Description of the Related Art
Typical wire insertion automation machines require very tight tolerances between the expected (programmed) grommet cavity location and the actual position when mounted to the pallet. Currently, connectors are attached to the pallet by a rigid threaded fixture that aligns the connector by its outer shell or with a connector friction post. The tolerance stack up of the connector manufacturer, however, may place the connector cavity locations outside of the tolerance of the programmed positions of the automated wire insertion machine, thus causing misalignments and/or high failure rates. Automated wire insertion machines have high failure rates due to the collisions between the wire contact and the grommet or dielectric face of the connector. Many of these wire insertion failures are attributed to the interference fit and high friction of the contact in the compliant grommet material.
As such, there may be a misalignment between the master key on the connector shell and the grommet cavity holes. Other misalignments may occur due to a translational error of the grommet within the shell as the grommet is glued into the connector by hand. Shifting of the grommet frequently occurs despite the grommet being self-centered by design.
The tolerance stack up of the connector part induces numerous wire insertion failures with the use of an automated wire insertion machine. The grommet of many connectors is an interference fit with the wire contact. Furthermore, the insertion gripper grabs the wire which is less rigid than the contact. The lack of rigidity in the wire makes fully seating the wire in the connector difficult. Once a wire contact has been positioned through the grommet, the wire contact must find its way into the dielectric cavity, which is rigid. If the wire contact and the dielectric cavity are not perfectly aligned, numerous insertion failures may occur. Some current automated wire insertion machines have a certain number of programmed retries if the sensor recognizes a failed insertion. These retries allow the wire contact to back up and try a slightly different position for the next wire insertion. The insertion attempts may form a circular array about the original attempt location. The high friction in the grommet makes it difficult to effectively move the contact to locate the dielectric hole. Furthermore, multiple failed attempts are time consuming and oftentimes slow production as hundreds or thousands of wires may be required to be inserted in a given system.
Therefore, what is needed in the art is a system and method for effectively and efficiently inserting a wire into a fixture.